Explore the scientific foundations of what we know about climate change, greenhouse gases, and energy consumption through effective hands-on and data-rich classroom activities from NESTA.

Join us in this activity-based workshop as we explore the scientific foundations of what we know about climate change, greenhouse gases, and energy consumption. Using effective hands-on activities, we will investigate what we know about climate change, moving away from doomsday scenarios and focus on data and solutions. We will explore the difference between climate and weather, examine ice-albedo feedback, melting glaciers, sea level rise, the role of CO2 in the Earth system and its connection to fossil fuels, global warming, and the impact of energy consumption choices. Classroom activities that connect students with the science of climate and energy consumption implications will be highlighted. Activities used in the workshop are aligned to the current National Science Education Standards, and relevance to the NRC Framework for Science Education and the NGSS will be highlighted. Participants will receive a handout with links to lesson plans and other free resources available on the Windows to the Universe educational website. This website has been developed with sponsorship from NSF, NASA, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and university sponsors since 1995. Many additional free activity lesson plans are available on the web site, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association.